Delay-action detonator.



P. L. E. DEL FUNGO-GIERA.

DELAY ACTION DETONATOR.

APPLICATION Fl LED JAN. 30. I9I8.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919,

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVE/VTUR ATTORNEYS WITNESSES 1n: NORRIS Pz'rrks w. PNOTo-LITHD. wAsNnmmN, B4 c,

PHILIPPO L. E. DEL FUNGO-GIERA, 0F PELHAM, NEW YORK.

' DELAY-ACTION DETONATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

Application filed January so, 1918. Serial No. 214,469.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIPPO L. E. DEL FUNGO-GIERA, a citizen of Switzerland, and a resident of Pelham, Pelham Woods, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Delay-Action Detonator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to high explosive devices with respect to either military or commercial uses.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide an improved detonator, equipped with a slow or time controlled fuse, and associated with improved means to transmit the effect of the fuse to the main charge of high explosive.

With the foregoing and other objects in View the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views. and in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of a high explosive shell for military purposes equipped with my improvement.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the same on the line 22.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of the invention designed particularly for civil or commercial purposes.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the same on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a partial plan view and Dartial secgl'ional detail on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3; an

Fig. 6 is a detail in side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 5 and indicating the finger piece for rotating the cap to ignite the friction end of the fuse.

Referring now to the first form of the invention I show a shell 10 of any suitable size or design provided with a head 11 in which is fitted at the point a nose 12 supported resiliently by means of a coil spring 13 surrounding the same within the head and holding it projected in position to impinge against any relatively solid object and so to be forced backward or inward when the safety screw or screws 1 1 are loosened.

The main body of the shell is designed to be filled with any suitable high explosive, and at any convenient place within the shell is located my improved detonator indicated as a whole at 15.

16 indicates a fuse of anydesired effective length according to the predetermined time for the detonation to take place. The outer endof the fuse is fitted with anysuit'able friction device 17 which will act similar to an ordlnary match 1n connection with a friction surface'lS carried by or within the nose .12 providing for the ignition of the outer end of the fuse as a result of the inward movement of the nose at the time of impact.. 1

Atthe other end of the fuse within the detonator structure is located a quantity of black powder 19, or its equivalent. adjacent to which is a closed container 20 filled with some powerful chemical re-agent 20 such for instance as sulfuric acid. This container 20 is formed of some suitable substance not subject to attack by the re-agent within itbut which responds readily to the action of the ignited black powder whereby the container is melted or reduced and the acid thereinis set free to initiate the ignition of the high explosive 21 contained in or adjacent to the detonator. As a practical means for holding this charge of acid I prefer to use a substance in the nature of paraflin whereby the chemical will be held reliably and for any length of time until the paratlin is melted by external heat. When the fuse is ignited as already explained and burned so as to ignite the black powder the heat therefrom melts the parafiin and the layer or diaphragm of foil 22 that may be arranged between the parts just referred to and the main charge of high explosive 21. Thus the re-agent is set free to act upon the high explosive causing the detonation thereof.

As practised in the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1 the highexplosive 21 communicates its force immediately to the main charge 23 in the shell exterior to the detonator 15. The provision of the high explosive 21 within the detonator is for convenience in assemblage of the apparatus.

The commercial form of the invention shown in Fig. 3 is designed for use in blasting or other analogous civil pursuits. This 110 ofnii if-he= 'inve t having inner and outer main space in Whichjis filled, with} a'high,

compr ses; i a casingexplosive 23" held 'in' at one 'end'by 'means atthe other end.

of a plugorrwad 24 and g i With a detonatorhead 11, This head ineludesvv t'ca p 28 adapted to be rotated or" i=6therwise moved 'by' the operator for the purpose of igniting thegfnfict ion end of a time fuse 16 in connection with a-friction, surfa t e- 18 at anyj time after: the: safety qopies pt this patent mayte obtained'for fiwe cents each, by addressing the *"Commissioner'ofPatents,

s rew onscrews z xeo ened -:Bet-w.een the-icapw28 and thehighexploare arranged the; detonating megdinms including a massof black :pQWder 7 L9 l and, thecontainer 20 vand; between the black powder andthe high explosive arranged a-lay r 0 ";-fi1 1 .f o

@Inthisf rm-of the invention I provide a timefuse =16," of-considenable length which fi on wtheignition headlZ isextendedincon- V vo-l ticns lengthwise of the shell and: be- 7 tvveel i the; inner andotiter-walls 26 rand+ 27 .-t h er= eof. -1 The number of foldsor convolu =tions maybe: few or 'many depending upon high: explosive betweenfthe hose l2and thegcoiled: fuse may befilledwithlsome suitable=;chemic'a'l serving -'as;-asmoke: producer=-and as cushion-5 For th s. puripqse I.

chemicahincluding"mono-nitrovnaphthalene.

suggest the use of; some alls 26 and. 27, the.

l. Ina device of the character set forth, the combination. .Withl a container charged With higheXplo'sive; a'fuse and means to ignitethe fusaof detonating means includln'g'a charge of 'sloW explosive into-Which the re-agent' adj acent to the slow explosive and adapted to be "melted; the'r ebyto free-the re-agent; Y a r V c c 2., In a device of'the character set forth, the-COH1blI1tttlOn withfa she'll, a time fuse Within the shell, -a-"n1ass jOf-l'llgh explosive fwithin 'the. -shell; and 'me'ans tocontrol the ignition of the outer end. of: the" fuse, of detonating means for "the high explosive and to which the inner end of the fuse leads,

said detonating' means includingzatquantity ofblackpowder toibe fired by thei'fuse, a quantity of sulfuric acid and a fusible-container for the acid: adjacent to the black powder whereby theyacidg-will; be freed when the black; powder acts to melt the container;

34111 a device of the character set forth,

the combination of a, shell, a high explo- V sive Within the shell, of detonatlngmeans -:for the high explosive,-

said 'detona'ting thefuse leads to fire it; a chemical reagent 7 adapted to initiate the detonation of the high 'explosi-vcxza nd a fusible container for 1neans-"including"a combustible material,

manuallycontrolled" means; to ignite the combustible material, anda chemical reagent-set free to ignite thehigh explosive as I a direct and immediate result of the combustion-of said'material, I v I a mum 1.. E. imnrimed-emm i I "Washington-D; (1.; 

